Page 95 - summer2016

Legislative Updates

POLICY UPDATE
By Judith McGeary, Esq.

GMO LABELING Contrary to industry fear-mongering that such
For over a year, Big Agribusiness and Big labeling would dramatically increase food prices
Food companies have been urging Congress to for American consumers, the labeled candies
overturn Vermont’s law for mandatory labeling sell for the same price as the unlabeled.
of GMOs before it goes into effect on July 1. While the labeling of candies may not be of
Last summer, the U.S. House of Representatives immediate personal significance to people fol-
passed a bill that would have overturned all state lowing a WAPF-style diet, these developments
laws on labeling of GMOs in favor of the mirage are still of vital importance to us all. On-package
of federal voluntary labeling. As we reported labeling provides a realistic opportunity for
in the Winter 2015 issue of Wise Traditions, consumers to start to avoid foods (of whatever
the Senate Agriculture Committee approved a kind) that contain GMOs—and by doing so
Senate version of the bill in early March, leaving create market pressure for more non-GMO
it just one step away from passage. products and a food supply not dominated by
Thanks to the grassroots outcry, however, these transgenic crops controlled by a few large
the Senate failed to muster the necessary sixty companies.
votes to move the bill forward, effectively kill- While these are very encouraging devel-
ing it. Since then, Congress has been quiet on opments, we know that the corporations are
this issue. still trying to convince senators that QR codes
In the meantime, Campbell's has publicly (scannable designs that take the consumer to the Judith McGeary
announced that it would label all of its products company’s website) are valid alternatives to on- is the Austin, Texas,
containing GMOs nationwide. Campbell's also package labeling. (See the Winter 2015 issue of chapter leader, an
pledged to support a mandatory nation-wide Wise Traditions for more discussion about QR attorney and
small farmer, and the
GMO labeling bill, withdrawing from the in- codes.) But the longer we stall any action by executive director of
dustry coalition that has opposed mandatory Congress on this issue, the more likely we are the Farm and Ranch
labeling for so long. Kellogs and Mars have to succeed. Once the companies have actually Freedom Alliance.
also announced that they will label nationwide, implemented on-package labeling, it becomes She has a B.S. in
because it makes more sense to do so than to much harder for them to convince anyone that biology from
segregate products that will be sold in Vermont; it’s too expensive or difficult to do what they’ve Stanford University
the tone of their announcements, however, indi- already done. and a J.D. from the
cates that they have not dropped their opposition University of Texas
at Austin. She and
to mandatory labeling and will continue to seek TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP her husband
to block it politically. TRADE AGREEMENT run a small
A recent report from a New York activist No news is also good news on the Trans- grass-based farm
indicates that other companies have quietly Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement (TPP). with sheep, cattle,
started labeling without making any public Although Congress gave President Obama horses, and poultry.
announcements; packages of candy and chips extensive authority to negotiate trade agree- For more
from multiple other companies bear labels that ments under the so-called “fast track” process, information go to
read “produced with genetic engineering,” or Congress still has to vote to approve the final farmandranch-
freedom.org or
“partially produced with genetic engineering,” agreement. While attempts to stop such approval call (254) 697-2661.
the language dictated by the Vermont law. have repeatedly failed over the last twenty years,
Wise Traditions SUMMER 2016 Wise Traditions 95